As Europe goes through major transitions - clean, digital, demographic - investing in its greatest asset, its people, is more important than ever. The EU’s long-term budget will be key in promoting social rights.
Through targeted investments, it will support
- quality jobs
- social inclusion
- education and skills
- affordable housing and social infrastructure.
Investing in people also means supporting democratic participation and a vibrant civic space, as well as protecting artistic and cultural freedom. The long-term budget will continue to invest in the areas of skills, culture, media and values.
Key figures
Tailoring investments to local needs
As part of the new national and regional partnership plans, the European Social Fund will support education, employment and social objectives such as
- reforms and investments in reskilling and upskilling
- improving the quality of education and training systems
- fighting poverty and homelessness.
In addition, Member States will benefit from Catalyst Europe policy loans to support social inclusion and skills development.
Tackling poverty
Through partnership plans, the European Social Fund will
- promote equal opportunities for all
- support strong social safety nets
- foster social inclusion
- intergenerational fairness, and
- fight poverty.
The new plans will support the most vulnerable, strengthening the European social model.
Promoting social innovation
The EU Facility will boost innovation across the social economy by supporting
- microfinance and social enterprise finance
- social economy
- social infrastructure (including health and educational infrastructure)
- social and student housing.
Supporting learning and addressing skills gaps
A reinforced Erasmus+ programme will be the backbone of the Union of Skills, providing essential funding for
- sport and youth initiatives
- cross-cultural collaboration
- personal development opportunities
- community engagement projects.
The European Competitiveness Fund will also help create quality jobs in strategic sectors, by supporting life-long learning, education, training projects and apprenticeships.
Supporting civil society, shared values and democracy
The long-term budget will support civil society with different programmes. For example, the national and regional partnerships and the Competitiveness Fund will support LIFE activities for the environment, biodiversity and circular economy.
A strong AgoraEU programme will promote shared values, including democracy, equality and the rule of law and support the European cultural diversity, its audiovisual and creative sectors, media freedom and civil society involvement.
What the EU budget delivers today
The Croatian Natural History Museum in Zagreb, home to the largest collection in the country, is undergoing a major renovation, supported by EU budget. The project focuses on the historic Amadeo Palace, and aims to expand its capacity, increase the number of visitors and strengthen its scientific and museological work. This will create new jobs and position the Museum as a key driver of developmental tourism and cultural heritage preservation.
This page was last reviewed on 15 January 2026